February Recap/Stats

Miles Planned/Ran: 145± M / 138.77± M

Rest Days Planned/Taken: 4 / 5

Highest Mileage Week: 38± M

Long Runs Planned/Ran: 4 / 4

Hill Workouts Planned/Ran: 5 / 4

Pace Workouts Planned/Ran: 4 / 4

Xtraining Workouts Planned/Ran: 4 / 6

Favorite run: 12 Miler w/ Lazy Runner & Tim - Was so great running with LR again!!!

Least Favorite run: Last week's Hills where I tweaked my leg. Grrr!!!

Most hardcore run: Hellacious Wind 16 Miler - My longest solo run to date (at the time) and first go at running the back roads of nowhere all while fighting 25-35 mph winds!

Race(s): N/A - Just spectating.

Current Reads: (Reading) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium Trilogy Series #3) by Steig Larsson. I have been savoring this book all month, reading only a chapter or two a day because I do not want it to end!!!

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Honestly, it's so shameful I can't even admit it!!!

Current Obsessions: So Spike's friends gave us the first season of Dexter yesterday and let's just say we watched 7 episodes back to back... and I've been waiting all day to start up the next one!

Current Drink: I have been loving me some O.N.E. Coconut Water w/ a splash of Pineapple!

Current Song: I can't even recall the last time I turned on the radio! So sad!

Current Wish-List: I've been drooling over these:

Current Need: I retain last month's need for the Spring to arrive! This Florida transplant STILL needs more Vitamin D in her life!

Current Triumph: Making it through this past weekend's long run in one piece. It's been over a year since I've touched mileage this high and I am praying to the running gods and begging my legs to continue to hold up.

Current Bane of my Existence: Effing Winter.

Current Goal: To make it through the next few high mileage weeks in one piece!

Current Indulgence: Last week I polished off the last of the Reese's Peanut Butter Hearts left over from Valentines Day in Spike's candy bowl. Ugh. I will not be revisiting that thing this week!!!

Current Blessings: Life, love, friendship, and legs that are still running!

Current Excitement: Closing in on single digit weeks til Cleveland Marathon by month end!

How'd your February shape up?!?!

Running is what you make of it, make it an Adventure!™

Naked People, Rookie Mistakes, and the Magical Powers of the Recovery Run

Last week was a very trying week for me on the training front. We saw more snow throughout the week and I ended up tweaking something Tuesday when I headed out for my hills. I spent the rest of the week R.I.C.E'ing and being overly cautious of re-injury and come Saturday morning I was a Nervous Nelly even thinking about running 16 miles.

Spike had it in his head to go run the "Hills of Death" out in Lansing (because he's a masochist when he trains for Boston), so we decided to start our respective runs from the MAC. Heading out to the River Trail, my leg was feeling all sorts of twingy and tight, and there was a fresh blanket of snow on the ground to contend with. The first 4-ish miles were a mess as MSU hadn't gotten around to cleaning up their portion of the trail yet, so I was being really mindful of every step. I decided from the get go not to pay attention to the pace and just run as comfortable as my leg would allow.

I got a reprieve heading in to mile 5 with cleared paths and it gave me a bit more confidence for the remaining miles of the run. Arriving back at the MAC I was happy to have made it the distance in one piece and pleasantly surprised to look at my run stats; only 5 seconds off from last week! All hopped up on the after-run endorphin high I submerged myself knee deep in the ice tub in the locker room. I've never been able to (wo)man up for longer than 30 seconds at most in the ice tub, but with my pants rolled up, a towel wrapped around me for warmth, my thick SmartWool socks still on, and the charming naked women in the hot tub chatting me up I was able to make it 15 full minutes!

You were probably wondering where the naked people came in to play huh?

So as I was saying, the lovely naked women in the hot tub chatted me through my icy minutes, the last of whom was an artificially well endowed former competitive athlete (or so she claimed) who's endowments were bobbing just atop of the whirlpool's rippling waves as she berated my training technique and I did my best to be gracious and avoid staring at the girls. It was the most awkward convo ever for various reasons and I was so thankful to finally escape to the shower.

After the shower, a fresh change of clothes, and a modest attempt to make myself look presentable I made my way upstairs to wait on Spike in the cafe. This is where the rookie mistake comes in to play... by now almost an hour had passed and you know what I hadn't done? Ate a single morsel of food. When Spike appeared from the locker rooms I stood up and realized this fact when I felt an overwhelming need to either puke or pass out. I disclaimed my need for food pronto and we made a beeline for grub. Long run refuel FAIL!

Now let's fast forward to this morning, I had a recovery run date with my girl Jen B. She arrived and I was in full blown pimp-limp mode feeling all sorts of beat up. I know not everyone believes in the magical powers of the recovery run but for me, nothing works out the kinks better. It's how I turn from a 90 year old pimp-limping mess back into myself. And with that, week 12 is officially in the books and hopefully with it, the last of this leg tweak.

Which means... 11 more weeks til Cleveland Marathon!!!

Congrats to all those who raced this weekend whether you were a princess, pirate or slogged through the crazy elements for the Hyannis Marathon! Can't wait to read those recaps!!!

Half2Run

Do you love to run/walk?

Do you love to travel?

Do you enjoy traveling to run/walk?

Do you like to run/walk Half Marathons or do you want to start?

By now most of you have heard about the insanity that is being a Marathon (or Half Marathon) Maniac and maybe think there's no way you could ever tackle such a feat. I feel ya! Personally I don't think my body is capable of handling that much abuse even with as much as I love to run, so imagine my excitement when I recently learned about a program that seems so much more attainable for mere mortals:


Half2Run is a program master minded by a self proclaimed "Obsessed Runner" and owner of the Running Fit chain of running stores here in Michigan, Randy Step. Half2Run is for anyone who enjoys running/walking, at least Half Marathons but Full Marathons are honored as well (you did run 13.1 twice after all!), and want to go 13.1 in half the states. Just so we're clear, that's 13.1 in at least 25 states, run and/or walk!!! Anyone can become a member of the program and you have all of eternity to qualify! Did I not say it was attainable for mere mortals or what?!?!?

Based on their guidelines I can already check 3 states off my list; Florida, Michigan, and Illinois! (And coming soon, Ohio!) Only 22 more states to go! I'm totally up for this challenge! You can learn more about how it all works HERE. Basically you register (for the extremely affordable lifetime membership price of $14.95, with no renewal fees, ever), set up a profile, and plug in your past race stats. The Leader Board lets you know who you're up against and there's a membership directory (accessible once you become a member) you can sift through to connect with other Half2Run participants before events. They also have a Race Calendar available that handily compiles all Half Marathons around the world! When you finally reach your goal of 13.1 in at least 25 states you receive this certificate of completion and Half2Run medal.

Bling-Bling!

The more I learned about this program the more it got me thinking that this could be the perfect excuse to finally meet some of my blog friends around the U.S.!!! Right off the bat I can think of at least a few peeps I wouldn't mind going for a little 13.1 run with! (Just to name a few, but there are many, many, many more!!!)

If you think you're up for the 13.1 in 25 States Challenge make sure to look me up! User Name: RedheadRunning

3 Things Thursday

1. You know you're a runner (living in the North) when... even though by most standards it's a perfectly crappy day out (gray, overcast, slushy, puddle-tastic), you still find yourself thinking it's a great day to run because you're not wearing a jacket and the snow is melting. (Until tonight when we get 2-5 more inches... FML is it Spring yet?!??!)
   
   
2. Self Control... I don't know what my deal is but I've been falling off the healthy train at the end of every single day this week! I would be doing so good and then I'd get home and mindlessly raid Spike's candy bowl. This is completely out of character for me when I'm training. I typically swear off all things unhealthy until I've ran that little 26.2... and THEN I eat my weight in chocolate-peanut-butter-y goodness! This Redhead needs some serious self control!
   
   
3. Favor... Ok so this is kind of an odd request but the Half Marathon I'm doing in April is famous for it's incredibly ugly shirt and today they posted on FB that if they could get up to 1,000 followers they'd release the shirt art. Will you do me a huge favor and go "Like" their page? If for no other reason than to see if this year's shirt can top these "gems":
   
   
   Come on, you know you want to see if they could possibly be any worse than these!!!
   
   
   

Wordless Wednesday

Necessary Evils

In running, like in life, I've come to find that there are a handful of necessary evils. A few examples being:

• Hill's: Y'all should know my motto by now, "Hills are for Hero's!" It's what I chant to myself as I fight up yet another repeat each and every week. When I lived in pancake-flat Orlando I resorted to overpass bridges and parking garage ramps to incorporate them into my routine because they make you faster and stronger.
  
  "You can never run a hill too hard, you will collapse before hurting it."
  
  
• Speedwork: Speedwork comes in many torturous forms; intervals, tempo, pace, etc... whatever you call it, hitting the puke threshold is the single best way to get fast! Even incorporating a few fartleks can get you started at chipping away your race times.
  
  "If you don't feel like you're going to throw up you're not running fast enough."
  
  
• The Foam Roller: Who knew a foam cylinder could simultaneously cause you tear jerking pain and euphoric release?!?! Investing in one of these babies changed my life and I use it every single day to work out all my various tight muscles, knots, etc... I often joke I have a date to make sweet love to my foam roller because you can literally roll your entire body out on this thing!
  
  "Hurts so good!"
  
  
• The Stick: Much like the foam roller, but more importantly, it gets at the really deep knots that lodge themselves in your muscles. While extremely effective I find it hard to really get the most out of this thing because I can't bear the pain I'm causing to myself. Anybody else ever feel this way with this thing?
  
  
• Massages: Wait, did I just loose some of you on this one?!?! I'm sure many of you are thinking, "But I LOVE massages, they are the greatest thing since Arctic Ease!!!" And typically speaking I would agree with you but if you're cursed with extremely painful calf knots that build up like plague on your gum line, you find yourself impatiently dreading a massage.
  
  And that is exactly what I was doing Saturday morning after my long run... but I get ahead.
  

See Thursday after my pace workout I began to notice the unmistakable pain of calf knots. I'm no stranger to calf knots, I experienced them at the tail end of my first marathon training cycle, during most of my second, and they started the derailment of my defunct third. I immediately started fretting, stretching, icing, compressing, sticking, foam rolling, you name it! Anything I could think of but by Friday afternoon I was pimp-limping and fearing the worst... when I thought to book a calf massage. I spent the rest of the day in my compression sleeves, doing all the previously listed every few hours and when I woke up Saturday morning I felt slight relief but knew I'd be feeling them during the run. I ended up making it through just fine, I think fighting the wind helped me keep my mind off them, but afterward they were screaming and I impatiently dreaded my massage...

Within a few seconds of feeling up my right calf, the one that was really plaguing me, the sports massage therapist let's me know it was going to take more than a half hour to get me worked out... and for the next hour, 45 minutes of that on my right calf alone, I laid face down, tears streaming down my face, doing breathing exercises to stop myself from passing out from the pain, grunting "OMG!!!", as he got every last, horribly painful, deep rooted knot out. I limped in and walked out. My calves are bruised from the experience but I can run pain and knot free. A necessary evil (and unexpected expense) that I think might be making a regular appearance in my training regimen.

What necessary evils are a part of your training regimen? Do you regularly get sports massages? Have you ever had an ART massage?

On an unrelated note:

Anniversary Contest: Of those of you that guessed on my anniversary post Saturday, I had written 355 posts so both Nelly & Kevin win a little something since they guessed 350 & 360 respectively. Please email me your mailing address and I'll drop a little something in the mail for both of you.

When Things Run Two-gether

Typically speaking, I am not a Saturday poster but today I find myself compelled to post for a number of reasons and I will apologize ahead of time for rambling on and getting a little emotional...

First off I want to congratulate all my peeps who scored PR's today, it was like PR city on Twitter this morning and I can't wait to read all those race recaps!!! w00t!

This morning was also the 36th running of the Tombstone Ten, a 1 mile loop run ten times in the hillacious Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing. I just wanted to give a big shout out of congrats to all my friends who tackled those "hills of death" because they are no joke! (And yes that pun was intended!)

Also, in case you didn't know my Boo, B.o.B is headed to South Florida today to run a little race tomorrow. I'm so excited for her, she's been training her @ss off and I am predicting a HUGE PR... needless to say my phone will not leave my hand tomorrow as I anxiously await her Finish text along with Adam's and Lauren's. Good luck to all those heading out there to race tomorrow! Tonight dream strong and tomorrow run FAST!

Wishing I were there to give her a whole lot of this tomorrow.

Moving on I wanted to share with you my run this morning, it was my longest solo run to date, some of which was run out on the back roads of nowhere, and the longest run I've ran in almost a year! When things fell apart during my Grand Rapids training cycle last fall I had only managed a 14 miler. Setting out this morning, despite knowing I'd be up against some hellacious 25-35 mph wind, I knew it was going to be a good run and it was. I felt strong and the miles ticked by so fast. (Well except a half mile stretch during mile 7 where I encountered the worst of the headwind while simultaneously tackling the worst of all the hills of the run. There may have been a moment or two there where I needed to remind myself that "Hills (+ Wind) are for Hero's"...) When I hit mile 15 I dug deep and gave that last mile everything I had left. Something I always try to do in practice for the end of the race. I finished the run short of my neighborhood and enjoyed a nice slow and deliberate walk to my apartment feeling pretty d@mn hardcore and bad@ss.

Ouch.

During the run I had plenty of time to reflect on the most important reason I wanted to post today; exactly two years ago today I started this blog. It seems like a lifetime ago and yet it was only two short years. (Can you guess how many posts I've written? First one to guess right gets a prize! And so you don't cheat, the archive has been temporarily removed to prevent an easy win.) So very many great and wonderful things have happened since that first post. I started it while training for my first Half Marathon and have since ran many Half's, two Full's, countless shorter distances, set many a PR, had a few bad races to grow from, pushed myself to the limit and recovered from injury. I've ran in different cities, states and climates. I've made amazing friends all over the WORLD! And I fell in love.

Reflecting on my running adventures over the years and especially since starting this blog, I can't even imagine what life would have been like if I had never started running. Since I started running I became the best version of myself. I am healthier, happier, have more fun and live every day to it's fullest. And because of running, I started this blog, and because of this blog I met Spike. If running filled my life with so much joy before I even met Spike, forgive me if I can't even begin to describe what happened after he came in to the picture. Suffice it to say that if I thought life couldn't have gotten any better back in the summer of 2009, I was entirely unprepared for the amazing that was about to happen after I met him. My world turn upside down in all the right ways and I haven't stopped smiling or being schmoopy since. Is it even legal to be this schmoopy? Probably not but I don't care.

Worth every mile.

So there it is, everything that has been swirling around my head since I started my run around 8 am this morning. Happiness, joy and a whole lot of schmoopy. And before I forget, I wanted to say thanks to all of you for reading along on all these crazy adventures of mine. Many of you have been following along since I lived in Orlando, Florida and was training for my first marathon and have been front row for all my triumphs, bruised ego's, and a cross country drive that ended in Spikeville, Michigan just last summer. It's been a crazy two years and a lot of miles my friends.

I'll wrap this up by wishing you all an amazing weekend and thank you for an awesome two years.

12 more weeks til Cleveland!!!

3 Things Thursday

1. You know you're a runner (living in the North) when... it finally hits 40* and you're running around rejoicing about not having to wear jackets, gloves, pants, etc... if you would've asked me how I'd dress for weather like this a mere 6 months ago I would've told you a jacket, gloves, pants, etc... I guess my blood is thickening eh?
   
   
2. Boston Bound... Unless you're living under a rock I'm sure you saw that the B.A.A. released updated registration processes starting 2012 and new qualifying times for 2013. At first glance and near panic attack, that thankfully dear Emily spared me from, I have had plenty of time to digest all the blog posts, FB comments, etc.. about it and have decided to stick by my decision to train for a BQ. The plan was always to go out there and do the best that I can and now I will just have to pray that it all works out in the end. I do not have a problem with the lower qualifying times, as this was inevitable, I am however a tad concerned about the new rolling registration. It would be awfully heartbreaking to qualify and never even get a shot at registering but that is the chance I will take. I've come this far and it would be a waste not to see if I'm capable of the task.
   
   
3. Hills are for Hero's... So Monday I got the great idea to shake up my hill routine and hit a mile stretch of god awful hillage over by the University of Michigan. Four full mile repeats later, actually the warm-up and cool-down miles obviously had hills too, I was utterly and wholly spent! So much so that my legs are STILL feeling it days later. I usually do half mile repeats and while I couldn't possibly incorporate this every week I think I might rotate the workout in once a month. How do you run your hill workouts?
   

Elle-Ooo-Vee-Eee-yourself Valentine Challenge

A couple of weeks ago Zoe put out a little "LOVE YOUrself Valentines Challenge": Participants would be sent a Valentine w/ a cute Valentine skull tattoo to be put on the part of your body that you are most proud of because of running/life/fitness/etc. On the Valentines card she wrote why she admired Spike and I,

"Morgan & Spike - I admire your spunk and fun attitude. You always seem to be so happy in life and running. Schmoopy on my friends! (Heart) Zoe"

She included a tattoo for each of us and we* decided to switch things up a bit by choosing the part of each others bodies we admired most from our respective active lifestyles. :)

(Don't worry, we kept it PG Zoe!!!)

First up, Spike's vote:

Spike says:
"Red's ragin biceps are my fav because those guns can cause lots of damage. I know because when she gives me the best hugs ever I always feel lucky to escape the gun show alive. "
What he really means is his arm hurts from all the beatings his gets!!! (Kidding of course!)

Red's vote:

Spike's got a great butt and it's from all that speedy running!!!
Tee hee!!! :)

Thanks for the fun v-day challenge Zoe!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!! Hope y'all have all the schmoopy you can handle!

*Spike wanted me to clarify that "we" meant "me." LOL!

There's a First Time for Everything!

For those of you that have been reading this here little blog for awhile know that once upon a time, back when I lived in Orlando, I ran quite a few training runs with the infamous Lazy Runner... For those of you that are fairly new to the Redhead Running adventures (Hi!!! Thank you so much for reading!!!) let me direct you to such classics as my first 18 miler that he convinced me to run at 10pm on a Friday night, my first 20 miler (of death), the 18 miler I wanted to kill him after, or well... there was a lot of LR adventures back in my Orlando days so you can only imagine how excited I was to receive a text from him Thursday saying he'd be in town and wanted to go for a run Saturday morning. A new chapter for the Redhead & Lazy Runner adventures?!?!? H*ll's to the yizzah!!!

Never trust a man who wants you to run under barbed wire!

So bright and early Saturday morning we met up, along with Timmy, over at the empty parking lot of the MAC to give LR a running tour of my old stomping grounds in Lansing. It was crazy windy on my drive over, we're talking 25-30 mph gusts, so I text him, "You wouldn't happen to have a wind breaking jacket would you?"

His response, "What's a jacket? (No)"

Oh my little Florida boy was in for a treat.

It was then that I realized this would be the first time LR & I would ever run together fully clothed. (Back in O-town we were generally half naked and sweating buckets!) I was actually really surprised when he showed up in running tights and a pullover fleece. So far, LR gets an "A" for layering! I however get a "F" as in FAIL, because I had forgotten Hermes! Thankfully both boys showed up rocking their Garmin's! We were in business so I put Tim in charge of mileage documentation and LR in charge of pace monitoring. It was my first time ever running with Tim and it would be his first 12 miler to date! Seems I like to break people in to new distances! (Speaking of breaking things in, I decided today would be the Cleveland Crushers first appearance on a long run too!)

The first mile out was pretty brutal, straight into that nasty wind, and LR got his first dose in years of what running in cold temps was like. He was not amused, but soon enough we were on the River Trail touring the MSU campus and shielded from the elements. As the run continued on the sun started peaking through the trees and Tim and I started remarking what a glorious morning it was. LR was STILL not quite amused. LOL!

Red & LR - (Clothed!) Together Again!
(Forgive the poor pic quality, taken with phone)

The miles ticked off quick as we caught up, swapped running stories, and tried not to slip or fall on any hazardous patches of ice and snow. We hit the halfway point just outside of Hawk Island, took some fuel, and headed back the way we came with LR snapping pics along the way like a running tourist now that the sun was up and the sky was bright. We arrived back to the cars to find the gym parking lot filled to capacity, changed into some dry clothes, (Well Tim & I did any way, being locals and knowing better, LR sat there shivering, not... whoops!) and split ways with Tim to go grab some well earned breakfast.

Thanks LR & Tim for meeting up and getting your run on with me!!! It was a perfect end to my recovery week and big thanks to LR for bringing the sun with him up from Florida!!!

.........................................................................................

Now for those keeping tab, I mentioned a lot of firsts on this run but the most epic "first" of all was something I didn't mention: I didn't have to stop and pee the entire run!!! Yes, this is EPIC! Y'all know I have the bladder of a child and ALWAYS have to pee during runs, usually multiple times. That's twelve miles with zero pee breaks!!! Yes, it's the little things, like personal wins, that get me excited! This proves that I should be able to make it through the Martian Half in April without having to stop and maybe just maybe if I keep working on it, I could make it the full 26.2 in May too! There really is a first time for everything!!!

13 more weeks til Cleveland!!!

Nobody Ever Told Me About That?!?! (Running)

Do you remember those first days of running, back before you had a fancy watch or over priced shoes? When you drove your course to figure out the mileage, or used a stop watch to figure out your splits, and wore cotton?!?! *GASP!!!* I'm talking about back when the only thing you really knew about running was to put one foot in front of the other and repeat. Now think about all the things you've learned along the way... Did you ever have a moment where you thought to yourself, "Nobody ever told me that!?!?" I know I have and that is the point of this post: To give a crash course in running to all the newbies out there who are just starting out and don't have a clue about...

ATTIRE: The first lesson in attire is this: Cotton is NOT a runner's best friend! Dri-fit and sweat wicking is! Nobody told me this and as a result my first race (in Orlando, in July) was run head to toe in cotton. And I wondered why I was so hot?!?! Cotton is not a breathable material, gets weighed down when it's wet, and can cause chafing. (Not to mention if you sit around too long in it, like most fabrics, it can cause body acne. Yuck!) PLEASE save yourself some misery and invest in some suitable running/active attire. (*cough* Run, Black Girl, Run *cough*)

My first race ever, cotton hell abounds!
Circa 2008

• Even if you are a cheap-o like me, I promise you that you can afford some moderately priced Target active wear. I call their C9 by Champion line "Thrifty Beginner's Wear!"
  
  
• The next step is hitting up your closest outlet mall or discount online running apparel sites for some great deals on the good stuff. (Try: ZombieRunner Store, Running Warehouse, Roadrunner Sports, etc...)
  
  
• Finally, when you're ready to take the plunge, head to your local sporting goods or speciality running store for the good stuff: Nike, Asics, Brooks, New Balance, Adidas, Under Armour, Saucony, Mizuno, Champion, etc...
  
  
• FYI - You will never regret investing in staple items such as a wind breaking jacket, good running tights and a base layer shirt for the winter, sweat wicking socks, etc...
  

FOOTWEAR: I can not stress enough how important it is to make sure you are in the right shoe! This is one department you can't afford to go the cheap route, running in the wrong shoe can cause injury. Head to the professionals at your local (or not so local as the case may be) running store for a gait analysis, treadmill test, or at the very least, an old school barefoot walking assessment. They will help get you in the right shoe whether it's neutral, stability, minimalist or otherwise.

• Did you know: You may need up to a size larger in running shoes because your feet need room to swell and move as you run. Too small of a shoe can lead to black toenails, I should know, I ran in the wrong size shoe for months and lost eight toenails as a result!
  

GEAR: Chances are if you're a newbie you might not know what a Garmin, Timex Ironman, or Polar running watch is or why you need it, but when you do eventually learn about them you will also learn they are uber expensive! Lucky for you, as you pinch pennies to save up for one of these wonder gadgets there are plenty of options out there for you to utilize such as the many different apps available for the iPhone and Droid and the Nike+. (Be warned Nike+ tends to have calibration issues, but I hear the newer versions are better about it.)


FUEL/NUTRITION/HYDRATION: My first double digit run was ran without fuel or water. Why? Because I didn't know you needed either! Whether you're out for a turn of the neighborhood or going long make sure you have water at least every 20-30 minutes. You might not feel like you need it, especially in the winter, but you do! As for nutrition, there are a zillion and one brands out there to choose from so hit your local sporting goods/specialty store and pick up a few different kinds; GU, Powerbar Gels (my drug of choice), Clif, etc... Not only do they have these gooish packets but there's also gummies, protein balls, etc... Experiment, experiment, experiment and if all else fails, ask your fellow runnerds for recommendations.

• FYI - If you're ever in a bind grab a honey packet for a quick pick me up!
  
  
• If you don't want to use a Fuel Belt or Handheld for your water consider driving your route before you set out and place water every 3-5 miles. Spike and I do this for all of our long runs!
  

ELECTROLYTES: When you exercise heavily, you lose electrolytes in your sweat, particularly sodium and potassium. These electrolytes must be replaced to keep the electrolyte concentrations of your body fluids constant. There are many products out there that can help replace and maintain your electrolytes such as;

• Sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, and HEED, Smartwater, Nuun portable hydration tablets, GU Electrolyte Brew and not as widely known, Coconut Water.
  
  
• I also recommend taking salt capsules in the summer months and during races when you are really working up a sweat. (I've been known to use a salt packet from a fast food restaurant when I'm desperate!)
  
  

WEIGHTLOSS: Here's the skinny on getting skinny via running; it's not always that easy. To effectively loose weight you will need to monitor your caloric intake. When you run 10 miles you should be able to eat what ever you want right?! Well, to some extent yes, but if you overindulge it will cancel out those calories you burned.


BODILY FUNCTIONS: Unless you're living under a rock you should be following Beth over at SUAR and therefore you would know that bodily functions are a given being a runner. (Unless you're me. I do not poo. Ask Spike, I just take really long pee breaks!) For those of you that don't follow SUAR, be warned: Running causes involuntary bodily functions! Burping, snoting, farting, pooping... you name it. It happens. And runners LOVE to talk about it to each other so don't feel subconscious! As the book says, Everybody Poops. (And you might mid-run!)

• Plan your routes accordingly; make sure there are opportunities to use a restroom/porta-potty if the need should arise.
  
  
• Carry a few squares of T.P. for emergency situations and/or use your sock!
  

SAFETY: Let's do a check list shall we?

• Wear reflective clothing at night and invest in a headlamp. Sure you look like a dork but at least you're a dork that will make it home in one piece. You don't even need an expensive fancy one, this $6.77 vest from Walmart will work just fine. They even feature this $20 headlamp as a suggested item. At the very least wear bright or light colored tops so you are slightly distinguishable in the dark. (i.e. No running ninja at night = all black!)
  
  
• Do not EVER assume a driver sees you, even if you have the right of way! Better to be safe then sorry. Slow down and look both ways when you cross.

ETIQUETTE: Just a few things worth mentioning here:

• If you have a shot to win the race than by all means line up at the front. Otherwise, line up accordingly.
  
  
• If you're running with more than one other person be mindful of those around you, do not take up a wide expanse. An easy solution to this problem is running in a pack formation two abreast at most.
  
  
• When you are coming up behind someone let them know you are there by saying "On your left!" (Although if they're listening to music they probably won't hear you and will freak out because you "ran up on them" - which is why I shout!)
  
  

RUNNERD WEBSITES: Here are a list of runner's porn websites to runnerd out on:

• Runner's World - All things running, all the time!
  
• McMillan Pace Calculator - Ever wonder what pace you should be running you workouts? For a race? Find out here!
  
• MapMyRun - Map out a route from your house, your job, the city your visiting!
  
• Dailymile - Facebook for Athlete's! A place you can talk about running/training all you want and no one ever gets sick of it!
  
• Athlinks - Create a profile and retreive all the results from any race you've ever ran... and scope out your competition!
  
• Treadmill Pace Conversion - How fast is a 6.0 on a 3% incline? That be a 9:00 Min Mile.
  
• Caution: Redhead Running - Shameless plug! :)
  

I think that about wraps it up for now but if you want to read even more tips, tricks, and info about running hit up these great posts by B.o.B, Aron, and Jamoosh!

This was a really broad post so please leave your thoughts, ideas, and other suggestions in the comments below! Let's band together and help the newbies so that they don't make the same mistakes we did!!! As for you newbies, take note and go get your run on!!!

P.S. If you're reading this in reader I apologize for the double post, I accidentally hit "Publish Post" before I had finished writing it up!

3 Things Thursday

1. You know you're a runner (training for a marathon) when... you have a maximum time limit of two hours without eating before you turn into a ravenous beast capable of eating small children. And pets. Ok maybe just any and all consumable items within reach... but you get the idea.
   
   
2. Cut Back/Step Down Week... If you've ever trained for something chances are you've had a cut back/step down week, where the mileage of your workouts were slightly decreased. The purpose of this is to prevent injury, allow your your body to recover from the intensity of the previous week(s) of training and to get a little extra rest before hitting the ground running on the next hard week of training. This week is my step down week and it couldn't have come at a better time! I have been spreading myself way too thin lately and really need to focus on recovery and not so much on social obligations. Only 12 miles on Saturday? Yes please!
   
   
3. Spring... I know it's only been like a week or so since Phil predicted an early spring but can it get here already?!?!? I've really been doing my best trying to take this whole first winter of running business in stride but yesterday I had one of those days... It was deceivingly cold despite sunny skies and the sidewalks were a disaster of ice and hard chunks of pitted snow. By the end of my run I was wind burn and grumpy. I am so ready for Spring to arrive! Visions of clear sidewalks are dancing around my head like sugarplums at Christmas!
   
   
   

Wordless Wednesday

More Boob talk with the Redhead

Remember last week when I boasted about not letting the weather stop me from running outside? Well I found myself in a bit of a situation Thursday; When I went to gear up for my pace workout I discovered I had forgotten my sports bra! What's a girl to do?!?! I mean sure, I'm a card carrying member of the I.B.T.C. and all, but I still need some support and the idea of wearing my regular bra put all sorts of visions of chaffage in my head. So I did what any resourceful social media loving blogger would do and hit the social scene for some input:
(Click the pics to read larger)

First up, Twitter:


Hand bra? Packing Tape? Duct Tape? Saran Wrap? Um, thanks but no thanks.

So then I decided to hit up Facebook:


Better advice here from the ladies (Sorry Ken, but unless you wear a manzier you're not allowed to have any input in these matters!) but I decided to hit up Dailymile while I was on a roll:



Survey says: I should've (wo)manned up and just worn my regular bra but in the end I was too much of a pansy and hit the dreadmill instead for the first time in ages after work properly supported in my sports bra. (Outside was not an option as it was dark and icy. A combo I'm not comfortable with.)

I know this seems like a rather random post (Well not really since y'all know I love to talk about boobs! Or lack there of any way...) and for all intents and purposes I got the answer I was looking for but I really wanted to see what the rest of you think about the matter. Have you ever found yourself in this situation? What did you do? Did you rock the regular bra or tape 'em up with some duct tape? Do you really think one could run a workout while holding them?! Leave your stories below!

14 Miles of Apologies...

Do you know what happens when you try to plan a run route in uncharted territory directly after a blizzard despite doing copious amounts of research via public run routes?!?!? Well for starters you won't be able to predict if sidewalks will be under three feet of snow or if they even exist at all, and you'll probably end up apologizing more than you ever have in your entire life for mapping out the most dangerous route you've ever run. Needless to say, improvise was the name of the game for the run I mapped out for Lindsay and I Saturday morning.

The Good: It was a very scenic route; we ran past the Chrysler test grounds, down a random dirt road, through Oakland University campus, it's golf course, through the Meadow Brook Hall grounds (formerly the Dodge family mansion and also the finish line for the Brooksie Way Half Marathon), and there were no casualties!

Vanna White, eat your heart out!
(A small portion of Meadow Brook Hall)

The Bad: Besides the fact that I arrive to find Lindsay had already ran 5 M that morning!?!?! It was a very hilly, challenging route, with little to no sidewalks until we got to the Oakland University area which meant we ran on the road a lot. There wasn't always a shoulder and when there was it was snow covered and icy. It was also freezing out, my fingers went numb, my hand-held froze up by the end, and I'm fairly certain Lindsay mentioned something about not being able to feel her face.

Hills are for Hero's.

The Ugly: Did I mention the hills? Well let me take it one step further: Huge hill, no shoulder, busy two lane road, bridge on both sides.

We feared for our lives that entire half-ish or so mile.

The Random: How many girls does it take to figure out a building floor plan to locate it's bathroom? Two.

Verdict: Hills are for Hero's, Lindsay is a trooper, and my longest run since August is officially in the books! I can honestly say I felt great during the entire run endurance/mileage wise, my hill training helped me power me through the hills, my ITB held up surprisingly well considering the treacherous terrain, and despite all the adversity we made it through in one piece without ever getting (completely) lost. I had a great time chatting Lindsay's ear off and she assured me she didn't hate me or want to kill me. I really can't apologize enough for how disastrous and completely unsafe at times this route was! I promise if any of y'all ever come visit here I will do better pre-planning of our run route!!!

And that my dear blogosphere is another adventure for the run log and wraps up Week 15 of training.

14 more weeks til the Cleveland Marathon!!!

3 Things Thursday

1. Snowmageddon... While Snowmageddon certainly was the most snow I've probably ever seen, it still didn't stop me from getting my run on! When Spike came home early from work yesterday and suggested we run outside amidst the blizzard I didn't even think twice! We totally lucked out for at least half our run with mostly runnable paths but the other half... notsomuch. Let's just say it involved a lot of high knees and drift jumping! Consistency definitely wasn't the name of the game but chasing after Spike still got me the overall pace I was aiming for. By the end of the run I was covered in snow, exhausted from the effort, and beaming from ear to ear from all the fun we had! It's def going to be a running memory I won't soon forget and I loved that a ton of my fellow northern runnerds had the same idea and didn't let the storm stop them from getting their miles in either!!!
   
   
   
   A "mostly runnable" path from our Snowmageddon 2011 adventure
   
   
   
2. The New Couch... Its FINALLY here!!! Yay!!! Behold, in all it's glory, our new couch:
   
   
   Sooooooo much better than blue plaid!
   
   
   
3. Chasing the Kenyans... As in Lindsey, is coming to the mitten this weekend and we have a date for 14 miles on Saturday. I'm stoked to get some one on one time with one of my favorite bloggers who loves to hassle er... motivate me on the regular. Here's hoping I don't get us lost or killed on this route I worked up in a city I've never visited!
   
   
   So what's the verdict? Did Snowmageddon 2011 stop you from getting your run on, or were you crazy like me and most of the runnerds I know here in the mitten and went outside anyway?